Listen Live
Listen Live Graphics (Indy)
media: on air

Source: David Hills / Getty

Kim’s Tuesday Local & National News and Sports Headlines

Trees down, limbs snapped, soggy earth and power outages–those are the conditions that Indy and Central Indiana are the conditions that greet us all on this Tuesday.

You may be on “team storm recovery” at your house this morning. Around 57,000 people across the area are without power. Almost 38,000 of those are Indianapolis Power & Light customers with the largest bulk of those affected residing on the west side of our metro. Of them, 20,000 are in, or around, Speedway. Duke Energy customers make up about 19,000 of the 57,000. Many of them affected are in or near Bloomington. Utility crews from Nashville, Tennessee are here lending hands to help restore power here in Central Indiana. They’ve been working since Monday’s midday severe storms to restore power. Some of these outages are affecting business. Ivy Tech Community College’s midtown campus won’t open until about Noon.

According to various local media reports, there are also plenty of downed trees in the neighborhoods across the area. Some are blocking streets, have come down across houses and garages, and are being dragged out of driveways to get cars out so you can get to work. There’s also standing water too in some areas. Be careful out there. In addition to looking for and avoiding debris, keep an eye out for traffic signals. Due to the power outages, traffic lights are out in some areas and impatient commuters have had several collisions. You may want to stick to the highways for your morning commute. 

IMPD is investigating a body found in the basement of an east side home.  Officials say the owner of the house made the gruesome discovery Monday morning.  The victim was a renter. Police say they don’t believe this was a random act of violence and a person of interest has been taken into custody.

Jury deliberations are underway in the trial of Mark Leonard. He’s facing 53 charges, including murder and arson, for the 2012 Richmond Hill explosion on the south side of Indy. Prosecutors say Leonard blew up his then-girlfriend Monserrate Shirley’s home to collect insurance money. Jurors will be sequestered until they reach a verdict. The trial was held in South Bend.

The City-County Council is making a statement in regards to ‘zombie homes’ left vacant from the mortgage crisis. Council members passed an ordinance Monday night to hold banks accountable for mortgages that foreclosed home owners have walked away from. Opponents say it’s a waste of time because it can’t be enforced under current Indiana law. Others say it puts the city in the position to act quickly if the law is changed.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch says bolstering relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve is one of her top priorities.  She was in Indy Monday to give a speech at the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives’ annual conference.  NOBLE, as they are also known, is meeting at the J.W. Marriott downtown. Lynch’s visit was part of her national “Community Policing Tour” that aims to improve public safety.

In breaking national and international news this morning…

President Obama is hailing a nuclear deal with Iran. This historic accord restricts Iran’s nuclear program while easing tough international sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Speaking this morning at the White House with Vice-President Joe Biden looking on, the President stressed that the deal will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He said it will make the Middle East and the world more secure. The deal still faces tough scrutiny in Congress and strong pressure from Israel to kill it. Obama threatened to veto any congressional effort to block the accord.

Now that President Obama has concluded his Iran deal press conference at the White House, he’ll head to Philadelphia. The President will outline his ideas for criminal justice reform at the annual NAACP convention. The President commuted the sentences of 46 federal prisoners Monday, saying their punishments did not fit the crimes. All 46 were serving long sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. Obama believes federal prisons are overpopulated with nonviolent drug offenders who are serving lengthy sentences.

Donald Trump is asking the FBI to investigate a threat allegedly tweeted by “El Chapo.” A twitter account in the drug kingpin’s real name, Joaquin Guzman Loera, sent a message threatening Trump if he continued his rhetoric against Mexicans. The Trump camp has called on the FBI to investigate the threat that vows in colorful Spanish to make Trump eat his words.

Back here in Indy…The events of the 45th Annual Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration continue today including a Lunch and Learn Plenary session with author and motivational speaker, Carla Harris. Harris is the National Women’s Business Council Chair and Vice-Chair of Global Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. That gets underway in the Indiana Convention Center downtown. Get more scoop on other happenings of IBE’s Summer Celebration online HERE.

In Sports…

The Pacers announced that they have gotten an important deal done. They’ve signed first-round pick Myles Turner to a contract. The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Indiana chose the 2015 Big 12 Freshman of the Year with the 11th pick in the draft last month. Turner averaged 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in his only year with Texas.

Indianapolis Weather…

Mostly sunny early on this Tuesday, however, there’s still a risk for scattered severe thunderstorms this afternoon. Today’s High near 85 degrees.

###(@1067WTLC)###

KimWellsMedia Headshotkimwellsmedia 071415

Follow me on Twitter@kwellscomm.